DETROIT SCHOOLS OPEN WITHOUT TEACHERS
DETROIT - Detroit Public Schools were scheduled to open as
planned today, despite a continued refusal to work by the union
representing thousands of teachers, according to the Detroit Free
Press.

The district planned to hold a half-day of classes today for its
129,000 students, and then start full-day classes Wednesday. The
district was to staff schools with administrators, teachers who
cross picket lines, parents and more than 8,000 employees who do
not belong to the Detroit Federation of Teachers, the Free Press
reported.

The union and district remain at odds over pay and benefits, with
the most recent contract ending last June. DPS says it needs $88
million in concessions from the teachers, while the union wants a
5 percent pay raise for its members.

It is illegal under Michigan law for teachers to strike, and
those who do can be fined one day's wages for each day they
strike. Detroit teachers refused to report to work as scheduled
Aug. 28.

The strike could impact already declining enrollment, according
to the Free Press. The district saw enrollment fall by 11,000
students last year, and predicts 50,000 students will leave over
five years.

"They are making it easy for thousands of students to flee to
charter schools," DPS spokesman Lekan Oguntoyinbo said of the
striking teachers, according to the Free Press.

Layonda Baldwin, who attended Detroit Public Schools, said she
will send her son to Detroit Edison Public School Academy, a
charter school, to start kindergarten Wednesday.

"As long as DPS is doing what they are doing and it's a lousy job
of it, yes, he will be in a charter school," Baldwin told the
Free Press.

Dan Quisenberry, president of the Michigan Association of Public
School Academies, said charter enrollment statewide grew between
9 and 12 percent last year.

"This is an ongoing trend," he told the Free Press. "Parents are
looking for choices and options."

HOWELL CUSTODIANS ABANDON MESSA
HOWELL, Mich. - Custodians in the Howell Public Schools agreed to
abandon union-sponsored health insurance, a move that will save
the district $125,000 this year, according to the Livingston
Daily Press & Argus.

The 56-member union agreed to a health plan provided by Blue
Cross Blue Shield PPO through the Michigan Employee Benefits
Service. The union dropped the Michigan Education Special
Services Association. MESSA is a third-party administrator
affiliated with the Michigan Education Association union, and
acts as a middleman to repackage health insurance plans and sell
them to school districts.

"Clearly our custodians are, at least, wise in recognizing that a
lot of folks are walking around out there without any health
insurance at all," Rick Terres, associate superintendent of
business for Howell schools, told the Press & Argus. "They've
shown a willingness to compromise."

The one-year contract also includes a 1 percent pay increase,
according to the Press & Argus.

KALAMAZOO LEADERS SPEAK OUT AGAINST PROP 5
KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Business and community leaders in the
Kalamazoo area have voiced their concerns about Proposal 5, a
November ballot measure that asks taxpayers to mandate funding
increases for schools with no mention of accountability or
performance, according to The Kalamazoo Gazette.

"It's not about kids. It's about their members," Steward
Sandstrom, president of the Kalamazoo Regional Chamber of
Commerce, told The Gazette in reference to the Michigan Education
Association union.

Prop 5 would require that public schools receive annual increases
equal to the rate of inflation, while also capping the amount
local school districts contribute to the retirement system for
school employees, The Gazette reported. The additional retirement
money would have to come from other areas of the state budget,
which worries former legislator and current Kalamazoo County
Administrator Don Gilmer.

"Schools have a problem, but the solution is not making it
everybody else's problem," Gilmer told The Gazette.

The House Fiscal Agency has projected that some $700 million
would need to be taken out of Michigan's budget to fund the
mandate if Prop 5 passes, according to The Gazette.

"Had it been written to include real reforms, with benchmarks, it
might be something to consider," Bill Martin, a Western Michigan
University trustee, told The Gazette. "But there's nothing about
student achievement or graduation rates or technology. It's
simply about more money."

Ken MacGregor, a spokesman for supporters of Prop 5, said he does
not believe state services would suffer if the measure passes.

"There is more than enough revenue for the Legislature to und
Proposal 5 without cutting other services," he told The Gazette.
"They could close all those tax loopholes."

JACKSON LOOKS AT COMPETITIVE CONTRACTS FOR PRINCIPALS
JACKSON, Mich. - Jackson Public Schools could save $100,000 a
year if just three administrators agree to retire and work for
the district on a contractual basis, according to The Jackson
Citizen Patriot.

Principals and department directors could take advantage of the
program if they are eligible to retire, The Citizen Patriot
reported. Those who retire would begin receiving pensions, as
well as the same salary they now make by continuing in their
current roles for the district. The savings for the district
would come from not having to pay their benefits.

The union that represents the administrators agreed to the plan
once the district said it would fill contracted positions after
two years, according to The Citizen Patriot.

SAT SCORES DOWN
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Scholastic Assessment Test scores of
applicants at some colleges are down by double digits compared to
last year, according to USA Today.

The average SAT score for applicants in the University of
California system is down 15 points, while the University of
North Carolina-Chapel Hill saw average scores of applicants fall
12 points.

This marks the first year of a new SAT that includes a writing
section in addition to the original math and reading sections.
James Montoya, vice president of the College Board, which owns
the SAT, estimates a nationwide average drop of about four to
five points, USA Today reported. Montoya told the newspaper that
there has been a decline in the number of students retaking the
test, which increased in price from $24 to $41.50, and that
repeat takers often see a combined increase of up to 30 points.

MICHIGAN EDUCATION DIGEST is a service of Michigan Education
Report (http://www.educationreport.org),
a quarterly newspaper
with a circulation of 150,000 published by the Mackinac Center
for Public Policy (http://www.mackinac.org),
a private,
nonprofit, nonpartisan research and educational institute.